Excel-SBOL Converter: Creating SBOL from Excel Templates and Vice Versa

Standards support synthetic biology research by enabling the exchange of component information. However, using formal representations, such as the Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL), typically requires either a thorough understanding of these standards or a suite of tools developed in concurrence with the ontologies. Since these tools may be a barrier for use by many practitioners, the Excel-SBOL Converter was developed to facilitate the use of SBOL and integration into existing workflows. The converter consists of two Python libraries: one that converts Excel templates to SBOL and another that converts SBOL to an Excel workbook. Both libraries can be used either directly or via a SynBioHub plugin.

Automated summary

Standards in synthetic biology, like SBOL, require a deep understanding or specific tools for practical usage. To overcome this barrier, the Excel-SBOL Converter was developed, providing Python libraries to convert Excel templates to SBOL and vice versa. This offers a more accessible way for researchers to utilize SBOL and incorporate it into their existing workflows, either directly or through SynBioHub.